Northern Star
by fanofscrubs09
Summary: Dr. Troy Bolton had it all: chief resident at the best pediatric residency in the country and plans for a prestigious fellowship in the summer. But, when his high school/college sweetheart re-enters his life, will he give it all up to be with her? TxG
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't not own High School Musical. That lucky honor goes to Disney.

* * *

"Dr. Bolton, please come to the nurses' station. Dr. Bolton to the 3rd floor nurses' station."

Dr. Troy Bolton groaned as he heard his name being paged over the intercom at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP as most of the staff called it. Being chief resident definitely had its perks. He was in charge of arranging the schedule for all the medical interns and residents. This allowed him the ability to schedule his shifts at the hospital to accommodate more time to visit his family and spend some time with his friends outside of the hospital. Being chief resident also offered him his pick of prestigious pediatric fellowships all over the country.

However, hearing complaints from the nursing staff about patients and the interns were just some of the cons of his position. Looking at his watch, he realized he had only made it 30 minutes at the hospital before the complaints were already beginning.

After taking a deep breath, he put the only smile he would muster at 6:00 AM and headed off to the nursing station knowing that the nurses usually responded a lot better when he smiled at them.

"Good morning ladies!" he said as he approached the nurses' station. However, his smile slightly faltered when the three nurses stopped their conversation to look up at him with tired eyes. "Oh, no… Please tell me that Tommy was able to sleep last night?"

"He practically terrorized us the whole night!" exclaimed Rebecca, the charge nurse for the night shift. "First, Terri had him, but when he spit his whole tub of pudding in her face, I had to switch her with Beth. Beth had her hands full with him last night." Troy turned to Terri and Beth who could only nod their heads in agreement.

"The way he was laughing and screaming last night, I thought he was going to wake up the whole floor!" explained Terri.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble he caused last night, but please try to understand. He's a 9 year old boy who can't go home because of chemotherapy. He's just a little bored--" Troy paused due to the exasperated looks the three women were giving him. Realizing that explaining the situation was not going to make them happy, he tried a different approach.

"I'll go in there and talk to him about trying to behave" conceded Troy as he turned and headed towards Tommy's room.

* * *

"Spitting pudding in her face?" Troy questioned nine year-old, Tommy Parker. Tommy had been diagnosed with leukemia 3 months ago, and he was now in and out of the CHOP to get his monthly chemotherapy. He had originally been Troy's patient during his oncology rotation. Even though Troy was now about two weeks into his infectious disease rotation, he still managed to visit the blonde haired boy every other day. It was their special relationship that they nurses believed could calm down the young patient.

"What?" said Tommy trying to give Troy his best innocent look. I just wanted chocolate pudding instead of that vanilla crap you try to pass off as dessert," returned Tommy.

"Spitting at people is probably not the best way to get your point across," reminded Troy grinning as he remembered his own father giving him and Chad a similar lecture so long ago. "I think you'll be surprised at how much you can charm your way to chocolate pudding if you just asked nicely."

"They hate me already Dr. Bolton, there's no way they'll be nice to me even if I'm nice to them back."

"They don't hate you. They're just a little… stressed, and you are testing their patience a lot. "

"I can't help it though; I'm so bored! It's summer time. It's practically illegal to keep a child locked up when I should be outside playing basketball with my boys or going on my family's annual camping trip," confessed Tommy. The tough boy exterior was quickly melting away and the vulnerability that he only revealed to Troy finally showing.

"Hey, Tommy, how about I make you a deal? Try to be nice to the nurses today, and I promise, during lunch tomorrow, I'll take you outside. I know something that we can do to burn a little energy."

"What are we gonna do?" asked Tommy, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, because of my residency, I spend a lot of time here at the hospital-"

"But you _choose_ to be here."

Troy laughed. "True, but it still doesn't mean I don't get sick of being here all the time either. After the first month of my first year, I went exploring around the hospital. At the back of the hospital, I found some of the custodians playing basketball. Apparently, they erected a basketball hoop to play during breaks and lunches. They let me play too as long as I promised to keep it a secret. Now that I just told you, you have to promise to keep it a secret too."

"But it would be so unfair! You're, like, bigger than me by 2 feet!"

"Height doesn't matter. Plus, I have a bad knee remember? I'll be lucky if I can even catch up with you."

"How about this thing?" questioned Tommy as he lifted his arm up to reveal his IV tube attached to his forearm.

"Don't worry. We'll play around in between your doses of medication."

Running out of excuses, a giant smile appeared on Tommy's face as he realized that a trip outside to play basketball could possibly happen. "Thank you so much Dr. Bolton! I'll be nicer to the nurses; I promise!"

Troy laughed. "Just don't spit at anyone and try to be quiet when others are trying to sleep. I think they'll be happy with just that." Looking down at his watch, he knew that he had to continue seeing other patients. "Alright Tommy, I have to go now, but you should get some rest. It sounds like you were up pretty late last night. You have enough time to sleep for another hour before breakfast."

"Okay," he replied as he moved into a more comfortable position. Before he closed his eyes, Tommy offered his fist up to Troy. Troy responded by bringing his fist to bump with Tommy's.

"Get some rest, buddy."

* * *

"EKG showed visible vegetation on the bicuspid valve. His blood cultures also show 3 out of 4 bottles of Staph aureus. This given his high temperature upon admission, I believe the patient has Staph aureus endocarditis," stated Troy as he, two interns, and Dr. Irene Pollack, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Troy's attending physician, walked out of their patient's room.

The white-haired women turned to Troy and smiled. "Good job, Troy. Now, Thomas," said Dr. Pollack turning to the blonde haired intern standing next to her. "Do you know how he got the endocarditis?"

Thomas looked slightly taken aback. "Umm… well endocarditis is an infection of the heart valve, and most of the time it comes from an infection of the blood… or rather septicemia…" the intern stammered.

Noticing his nervousness, Troy stepped in to rescue him. "Thomas, we talked about it back in the team room about how the patient's history puts him at high risk for developing septicemia," gently reminded Troy hoping it would help jog up Thomas' memory.

He knew that it indeed helped a look of recollection crossed Thomas' face. "Two weeks ago, the patient had heart surgery to correct his ductus arteriosus. It is most likely at this time that he had contracted an blood infection that later began to vegetate on the heart valve," stated Thomas this time with more confidence.

"Good Thomas!" said Dr. Pollack. "Now what is your treatment plan?"

Also remembering that he had talked this over with Troy earlier in the morning, Thomas responded "Previous blood cultures show that the Staph aureus is methicillin-susceptible so the patient should be started on nafcillin."

"Sounds good to me," replied Dr. Pollack. "Okay guys, good work today. I want you to have enough time to put in orders before noon conference today so let's break for today." Turning to Troy, she continued "Troy, did you want to meet later this afternoon to go over any new patients we get today?"

"I actually have clinic duty this afternoon. So, Dr. Paul Haggerty will be covering for me instead," replied Troy.

Every resident was required to spend one afternoon a week at a clinic in private practice. The program justified that it kept their skills working with the community, but most of Troy's co-residents moaned about treating ear infections and strep throat all day. However, he enjoyed his afternoons in the clinic as it was a nice change of pace compared to the constant life-or-death feeling at the hospital.

Now walking down the corridor of the hospital, the interns quickly rushed into the team room to finish up their work, while Dr. Pollack stopped Troy to continue speaking with him in the hallway.

"So I heard that you received another offer for a hematology/oncology fellowship from University of California- San Francisco. Congratulations Troy!" beamed Dr. Pollack. She, like the other attending physicians at the hospital, had a soft-spot for the blue-eyed doctor. He was brilliant as well as charming. He was easy to work with and every one of this co-residents and interns had only good things to say about him. It was an easy decision for the staff to name his chief resident.

But the one thing that impressed Dr. Pollack the most was that despite all the accolades and compliments Dr. Troy Bolton received, he refused to be arrogant about it. This was in contrast to many other brilliant doctors she had witnessed pass through the hospital.

"That's your 4th offer now, right Troy?"

Troy flushed as he was slightly embarrassed at her compliments. "Yeah, I just heard about it the other day," replied Troy moving his hand to the back of his neck, a nervous habit he picked up in high school.

"Have you decided where to go?" asked Dr. Pollack.

"No, not yet. I mean, it would be wonderful to stay here," started Troy. The hospital staff at the CHOP had readily offered Troy a position in their fellowship program. "However, Stanford and UCSF would be great as it will put me closer to New Mexico and my family. Then there's the program at Duke. Not only is it a great program too, but their basketball team is expected to be awesome next year."

A laugh arose from Dr. Pollack. "Troy, I cannot believe you're going to base such an important decision on a basketball team."

Troy smiled. "Yeah, well, you can take the boy away from basketball, but you can't take basketball away from the boy," joked Troy.

"I don't quite believe the saying goes like that. But, in seriousness Troy, I'm sure I speak for the rest of the staff when I say that we would all be delighted and honored if you decided to stay here. And if you did, is there any way I can convince you to join the Infectious Disease program instead? You've got quite a talent for it."

The flushing returned to Troy's face again. "Thanks Dr. Pollack. I think you're just flattering me. But, I know I have a lot of tough decisions to make soon, and I only have a few more days."

Knowing the stress that came with such a big decision, Dr. Pollack patted her left hand on Troy's shoulder. "Well, no matter what you decide, any hospital will be lucky to have you," she assured Troy.

* * *

After grabbing a quick lunch, Troy decided to make a detour on his way to the clinic. Stopping by the 3rd-floor nursing station, Troy saw that Sheila, the day-shift charge nurse was looking at a chart.

"How's Tommy doing today?" asked Troy.

"He's been… well, wonderful," she replied with a slightly awe-struck look on her face.

Troy laughed. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, before today, he's just been a little… difficult. But today, it's like he's a completely different boy! Will you be having your lunch with him today?"

"No, I can't today. It's my afternoon at the clinic today" said Troy. "I just wanted to check in with Tommy. But I better go, I think I'm going to be late."

Turning to leave down the stairs, Troy didn't notice the group of three female nursing students who watched his every move.

"He is the most beautiful man I have ever seen!" exclaimed a brunette student named Haley.

"I know! He once asked me to draw up blood for one of his patients. He was so nice. Not at all cocky like some other residents," gushed Jillian. "I wonder if he would consider dating someone at work," she thought out loud.

"You know what I heard?" started Kelsey, the third student. Both girls turned to her to encourage her to continue. "I was talking to one of the night-shift nurses. She said that Dr. Troy Bolton doesn't date. Something about how he's too busy at the hospital to maintain a steady relationship."

"Maybe he just hasn't met the right girl yet," smiled Jillian thinking that she could be the right girl for him.

"Nah, I don't think so," disagreed Kelsey. "You know the 2nd year resident, Blair Woodrow?"

"The resident that should be supermodel instead of a doctor?" replied Haley.

"Yeah. Well Terri was telling me that she's been trying to get Troy to go out with her since she came here as an intern. But Troy just keeps coming up with lame excuses not to take her out. Plus, have you noticed that he keeps arranging the schedule so she's on-call on his days off," explained Kelsey.

"Maybe he's suffering from a broken heart," supplied Haley. The two other girls looked at her as if she had grown a third arm.

"You are such a romantic Haley," laughed Jillian.

"What? No, seriously. Paul told me that-"

"Oh you got it from Paul!" exclaimed Jillian. "Then it must be true!"

"Well, Dr. Paul Haggerty is his best friend," said Kelsey. "I'm so glad you're dating him Haley. This way you can give us the inside scoop!"

Shaking her head, Haley continued like she didn't hear the two other girls, "Paul told me that Troy had a serious girlfriend in college. They were high school sweethearts, but they broke up sometime during college. Ever since then and all through med school and residency, Troy hasn't really wanted a relationship. He doesn't really date much either."

"Well, that's a shame," said Jillian. "He's such a cutie!"

"GIRLS!" exclaimed Sheila as she finally noticed the group of students standing around. "Stop gossiping! There are patients who need your help!"

* * *

"Dr. Bolton, you have one more patient in room 3," said Greta, the receptionist at Dr. Harry Wilkins' office, handing him a blue chart.

Philly Pediatrics was the private practice of Dr. Wilkins, an aging man in his late fifties. However, while many of his colleagues were retiring to spend more time playing golf, he continued to not only continue seeing his patients, but also persisted taking on residents from CHOP. Troy felt very blessed to be assigned to Dr. Wilkins. Ever since the start of his first year, Troy had spent one afternoon per week learning from the pediatrician. The young doctor looked up to Dr. Wilkins, and while private practice was something that never crossed his mind, he couldn't help but admire Dr. Wilkins' commitment to his patients.

"Thank you, Greta," he replied as he took the chart from her. "Can you make sure to give Caleb a Transformers sticker when he and his mom get out? I had to give him 3 shots today, and I don't think he was too happy with me."

"Of course I will Dr. Bolton," she replied smiling at him as she got up to the shelf where the gift bags for patients were stored.

Walking down the hall toward room 3, Troy briefly looked through the chart. "Ethan Bates, 4 years old. Mom states fever and complaining of a sore throat and runny nose…" whispered Troy, more to himself than anyone else.

Stopping in front of room 3, Troy slowly opened the door to walk into the room. His eyes immediately landed on a blonde, blue-eyed four-year old boy. He had been neatly dressed in a blue polo and denim shorts. However, his hair was messy and his nose from visibly red most likely from constant wiping from a Kleenex. Troy moved forward to the boy and started to introduce himself. "Hey Ethan, my name is-"

"Troy?" said a voice of a woman that Troy hadn't heard in years. Feeling his heart skip a beat, Troy moved his eyes up to the woman who had her arm around the young patient.

"Gabriella?" whispered Troy as blue crashed into brown as his eyes finally met hers. Both adults were stunned into silence as the only noise in the room was Ethan's constant sniffing of his nose.

Realizing that the attention was no longer on him, Ethan tugged on Gabriella's arm. "Mommy, who is he? Do you know him?" asked the young boy when Gabriella finally broke eye contact with Troy to look down at him.

"He's an old friend of mine," explained Gabriella as she looked back at Troy. "Ethan, this is Troy. Troy, this is Ethan, my son."

* * *

**AN: There you have it. My first shot at HSM fanfiction. Hope you like it! I have parts of the story written out so updates should be coming out relatively close together.**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This is assuming that all the Wildcats graduated high school as the Class of 09.

Disclaimer: I do not own HSM or any of its characters.

After the shock of Gabriella's confession stunned Troy into silence, Ethan's sniffing brought him back to reality. Looking at the young boy, who by now looked miserable and tired, Troy was thrown back into doctor mode.

"Well, it's good to meet you Ethan," said Troy extending out his hand to shake the boy's hand. "I hear you're not feeling well at all today. Let's see what's going on with you," he spoke motioning for the Ethan to jump unto the examination table. After a thorough physical examination, Troy removed the stethoscope from his ears and turned towards Gabriella.

"So, it looks like Ethan has strep throat," said Troy as he helped Ethan get down from the exam table so he could sit on his mother's lap.

Pulling the boy towards her, Gabriella gave him a short hug before asking "So, what do I do?"

"Well, I'm going to prescribe Ethan a 10 day course of amoxicillin to help the infection. You can also give him some children's Tylenol or Advil to help bring down his fever. The important thing is to make sure he rests and stays hydrated," replied Troy as he reached into the pocket of his white coat to pull out his prescription pad. After figuring out the correct dose for the antibiotic, Troy ripped the prescription from his pad and handed it over to Gabriella.

"Thanks so much Troy," said Gabriella softly as she took the piece of paper from him. Both took a short breath in as their hands touched.

"So, um… what are you doing in Philadelphia, Gabriella?" asked Troy trying to make it sound casual as to not betray the beating heart in his chest.

"Sharpay's new CD is launching here. Apparently, Philadelphia is the new music hotspot."

"Oh yeah, I heard that she had a new album coming out. I wanted to call and congratulate her, but I didn't know whether or not she still had the same number," said Troy feeling a bit of nostalgia at the mention of one of their high school friends.

While Gabriella and Sharpay never got along in high school, after graduation, they decided to leave all the drama behind and to start anew. They soon realized that they had more in common as they both loved shopping and music. Both girls were sad to see fall come as they were developing quite the friendship, but they promised to continue despite going to separate colleges. True to their word, they saw each other every time Gabriella went home to Albuquerque, and Sharpay always planned a "girls reunion" once a semester for Gabriella, Taylor, Kelsi, and herself to get together at one of the girls' colleges.

Troy grinned at the memory of walking into Gabriella's apartment in Palo Alto only to find all four girls dressed in their pajamas lounging in her living room during a fall visit to Stanford.

"She does have a different phone number. She had to get it changed when one of her friends lost his phone. Somehow, a fan found it and posted her phone number on Twitter," replied Gabriella. "It was quite a disaster. But I can give you her new number. She has a separate phone line for private calls," offered Gabriella, as she reached down into her purse to pull out a spare piece of paper to quickly jot down a phone number.

Taking the offered paper from Gabriella, silence overtook them again as a mental debate when back and forth in Troy's head. Finally, one side won out as he blurted "How long are you in town for? Do you want to catch dinner sometime?"

"We're here for another 3 days. Our flight leaves on Saturday, but tomorrow night is Sharpay's launch party," answered Gabriella. "Oh, wait! Why don't you come? You can tell her congratulations in person, plus the party is going to have a lot of food, drinks, and fun entertainment."

"I can't," said Troy regret filling him as soon as the words left his mouth. "I'm on call tomorrow at the hospital, but how about the next night? I know it's the night right before you leave, but I have the evening off."

"Yeah, that works out well. We're staying with Kelsey, but I'll ask her if she doesn't mind watching Ethan for another night," replied Gabriella as she once again pulled out a piece of paper from her purse, but this time writing her own phone number. "Why don't you give me a call and tell me when and where to meet."

"Sounds like a plan," said Troy. "Did your husband come on this trip with you too? You should bring him to dinner too."

Before Gabriella could open her mouth to speak, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. After a quick moment, Greta walked in apologetically.

"I'm sorry Dr. Bolton, but one of your interns are on the phone. They said it was an emergency."

"Ok, thanks Greta. Can you tell them I'll be with them in a moment?" asked Troy as Greta nodded in response and turned to close the door behind her. Bringing his attention back to Gabriella and Ethan, he noticed that she had stood up and began gathering her things things.

Crouching down so that he could be at Ethan's level, Troy extended his hand once again to shake his hand. "It was good meeting you Ethan. Feel better soon ok?"

Taking his hand, Ethan shook it. "Thanks Dr. Bolton! You know, my doctor back at home has Spiderman stickers."

Troy laughed as he said "Well, we don't have Spiderman stickers, but I'm sure Greta has some Transformers stickers lying around."

A look of excitement passed Ethan's face as he yelled "How cool!" and proceeded to quickly run out of the room towards the receptionist desk.

Grinning, Troy stood back up to see Gabriella smiling at him. "That kid," she started "I could barely get him out of bed this morning. Who knew Transformers stickers were the trick? He sounds better already!"

"Well, when you've been around kids for so long, you begin to understand their love for Transformers," replied Troy as both he and Gabriella laughed. "Like I said for dinner tomorrow, make sure to bring your husband-"

A beeping noise coming from Troy's pocket interrupted them again. Pulling his pager out of his pocket, he quickly scanned the message. "I'm really sorry Brie," he said apologetically. The use of his old nickname for her did not go unnoticed by Gabriella. "But it seems that my team really needs to get in touch with me. I'll definitely call you later with details!" he said as he walked backwards toward a room where there was a spare phone to use.

With one last glance at Troy's retreating figure, Gabriella went back to the reception area where she could hear her son's squeals of enjoyment over the newest Transformers stickers.

* * *

"_Hey Gabriella, this is Troy. I'm at the hospital right now, but I just wanted to tell to tell you about tonight. Let's meet at Philly's Diner at around 8. It's pretty casual so don't worry about getting all dressed up. I'm excited to catch up with you and finally meet that husband of yours. I'll see you there."_

Gabriella sighed as she pulled the phone from her ear and pressed "9" to save the voicemail. It was now Friday night, and Gabriella was trying to pack hers and Ethan's luggage for their flight the next morning. However, she had been distracted by the voicemail she had recently received from Troy.

Kelsi leaned at the side of the doorway of her guest room observing her friend. "Was that Troy?" she asked.

Gabriella looked up at her friend to reveal an unsure expression. "Yeah," she softly replied. She left the opened suitcase next to her on the floor to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Then why do you look so glum?" asked Kelsi walking over to join Gabriella next to the bed. "You haven't seen him in years. You should be excited to see him! You guys were such a great friends. Not to mention you were once in love with each other."

"Oh I am excited to see him and to find out what he's been up to," said Gabriella a spark of excitement obviously present in her voice. "Kelsi, you should see him now. When he examined Ethan, all I could do was stand back in awe as he switched into doctor mode."

Kelsi responded with a smile as she noticed pride was written all over the brunette's face at Troy's accomplishments. "Then why did you look so pale earlier when you listened to his message?"

"Because he's expecting to meet Trevor," explained Gabriella.

"Wait, he doesn't know what happened?" asked Kelsi.

"No, I guess not. I have no idea how he doesn't know. I was sure that Chad or his parents would have said something," she replied.

"Well, are you going to tell him tonight?"

"I'm sure I'll have to. He's going to have so many questions, especially about Ethan. How am I supposed to answer them all?" Gabriella asked as she sat on the bed and put her face in her hands.

"Gabriella, no matter how much time or distance has gone by, Troy will always believe the best in you. He won't judge you at all" said Kelsi softly as she wrapped her arm around Gabriella.

"I know but I'm still nervous," answered Gabriella, as she laid her head on Kelsi's shoulder. "Thank you again for agreeing to watch Ethan tonight. He seems to be feeling better. His fever practically gone, and he's beginning to have a little bit more energy."

"No problem. I have the whole night planned out for us that include movies and board games," replied Kelsi. Gabrielle laughed as she hugged Kelsi thanking her again for allowing them to stay with her.

After chatting a little bit more about how Kelsi's day had been, Kelsi left to allow Gabriella to get ready to meet up with Troy.

* * *

Troy sat at the bar of the restaurant waiting for Gabriella and her husband to show up. If he was honest with himself, he was excited to see his high school/college sweetheart again. It reminded him of how he used to feel in high school whenever he saw Gabriella. However, he tried to convince himself that he was merely excited to see an old friend again and not because she was more stunning now as she had grown up and matured. She, afterall, was married now, and Troy completely respected her relationship with her husband.

The first two years of college had been pure bliss for Troy and Gabriella. They spent every weekend together. Gabriella went to all of Troy's basketball games, and he attended every single one of her debate team competitions. While they made their own friends at their respected colleges, both sets of friends knew that to be friends with one half meant you were also going to spend a great deal amount of time with the other half. Gabriella was very popular with the men's basketball team at UC Berkeley mainly because she would bring treats after practices when she came to meet up with Troy.

During the summer between their sophomore and junior year, Gabriella received a great opportunity to spend the summer abroad in London studying the criminal justice system of Europe. Anticipating for the distance, Troy and Gabriella promised to make their relationship work. However, with Gabriella in a different time zone, and Troy in summer training sessions with the basketball team, they soon found the distance difficult and straining on their relationship.

When Gabriella got back that fall, they agreed that the summer had left a lasting effect on their relationship that they couldn't get back. While the break-up had been mutual, it saddened them both as they felt their hearts were now incomplete without the other.

Going back to their lives, Troy and Gabriella didn't talk or see each other all semester until that Christmas when Chad had a Wildcat reunion at his place. The friends witnessed the awkward moment between their two friends as they saw and spoke to each other for the first time. It had been difficult for Troy and Gabriella, but after a few hours, the two friends began to relax and genuinely catch up with one another.

It was during this conversation that Gabriella learned that Troy had gone on a couple of dates with some girl he met. He insisted that he only did it because his roommates kept bugging him about "getting back into the game". It was also at this time when Troy learned that Gabriella had enough credits to graduate early in May, and she and Taylor were already applying to Harvard Law School for the following fall.

From there, the two decided that despite no longer being in a relationship, they would always be there for one. They were best friends after all, and they had gone too long without each other. In February, Troy had been the first person Gabriella thought to call when she received her acceptance letter to Harvard Law School. In March, Gabriella was there in Houston to support Troy on UC Berkeley's journey through the NCAA Tournament only to see him get injured on the court. She was there when he was rushed to the hospital to get x-rays and to hear the doctor's diagnosis of a torn ACL.

In June, Troy had been there on the Stanford campus lawn, albeit with his crutches, to watch her, along with the Class of 2012, walk across stage to receive her diploma. He was there two weeks later in Albuquerque to help her and Taylor pack up a U-Haul full of their stuff as they got ready to spend the summer in Massachusetts to prepare for law school.

The memory of Taylor and Gabriella trying to close the jam packed U-Haul as several boxes threatened to fall out still brought a smile to his face. However, his smile disappeared as he remembered the moment that would shatter his heart.

* * *

March 02, 2013

_Maria Montez would like to cordially invite you to the wedding of her daughter_

_**Gabriella Anne Montez **_

_to_

_**Trevor Thomas Donavan**_

_son of Allen and Elizabeth Donovan_

_on_

_**May 16, 2013**_

_at_

_**3:00 PM**_

_in the_

_Cathedral of Holy Cross_

_1400 Washington St_

_Boston, MA 02118_

_Cocktail hour and reception to follow at the_

_Boston Park Plaza Hotel_

_50 Park Plaza (at Arlington Street)_

_Boston, MA 02116_

_Please send the attached card to RSVP_

Troy remained frozen as he read the invitation again and again. After back-to-back classes of Biochemistry and Infectious Diseases, napping had been on the top of his list of things to do when he got back to his apartment.

But now, with the fancy black and white linen card in his hands, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. He knew that he and Gabriella had drifted apart since she left to move across the country for law school last summer. He admitted to himself plenty of times that he too was also responsible for their lack of communication. Changing his major to pre-med at the end of his junior year meant that he had to double up on science classes and spend his summer at school. Though, he and Gabriella tried to keep in touch, tests and lab assignments kept piling up, and she called less and less up until the beginning of fall when they just disappeared.

Sighing, Troy held out the RSVP card with his right hand. Staring at it, he weighed out whether or not he should go. Deciding he couldn't handle the pain in chest at the though of Gabriella in a wedding dress to be married to another man, Troy ditched the idea of sleep, and walked to his room to change into basketball shorts to go to the gym, leaving the invitation and uncompleted RSVP card on the coffee table.

* * *

Troy snapped out of his memory when he heard someone behind him. Turning around, he had to stop himself from audibly gasping at the woman in front of him. Gabriella had let her hair down and her curls cascaded down her back. She wore a simple white shirt with a grey cardigan with dark-washed jeans with black flats. It was a simple outfit but Troy thought she looked stunning.

Gabriella smiled at Troy as she noticed that he was now in more casual clothes than in the clinic. It had unnerved her to see him dressed up in a tie and collared shirt and white coat. She was more used to seeing him in the outfit he was in now: a plaid red, white, and blue shirt over a white shirt with dark-washed jeans. On his feet, the dress shoes were now replaced with flip-flops. While his outfit reminded him of their college days, it didn't go past Gabriella that Troy had changed physically. His arms were much more muscular and his facial features were more defined and sharpened.

"Hey," Troy greeted her with a hug interrupting her thoughts.

She responded by returning the hug. "Hi, I'm sorry if I'm late. I missed the bus that Kelsi told me to take so I had to go and flag down a taxi instead."

"No, it's ok. I think I'm actually early. The hospital is just down the street, and I just stopped by there to visit one of my patients," said Troy.

"I thought you had the evening off?" asked Gabriella taking the seat next to Troy at the bar.

"I did. But I was there strictly as a visitor though. I went to check up on one of my favorite patients. He's a good boy, but sometimes he just terrorizes the nurses."

"Sounds oddly familiar. Are you sure he's not related to either you or Chad?" retorted Gabriella with a smile. Troy returned with a smile of his own.

"Where's your husband? Trevor, right?" asked Troy turning and looking around the restaurant not exactly sure why as he didn't even know what Trevor looked like.

Gabriella sighed as she shook her head. "Troy, I'm surprised you haven't heard," she started getting Troy's attention back to her. "But there's something you should know. I know I sent you the invitation, but I never got married."

* * *

**Thanks to everyone for all the reviews! I really appreciate it! I hope you guys continue to like the story. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks once again for all the wonderful comments you left! It really motivated me to get this posted before leaving for the weekend. **

**AN: I do not own HSM or any of the characters.**

**Chapter 3**

August 25th, 2012

"_Hey Gabriella! This is the worst best friend in the world! I'm sorry for not returning your call earlier. But it seems we're still stuck in the worst game of phone tag in history. Give me a call back whenever you can. Hope Cambridge is treating you well! If I don't get a chance to talk to you, good luck tomorrow on your first day of class! Bye!"_

Sighing, Gabriella pulled the phone off her ear to save Troy's voicemail as she walked through the campus of Harvard Law School. Her heart dropped when she had pulled out her phone to see another missed call from Troy. Today had been Orientation Day for all first year law students, and Gabriella and Taylor had just finished their last session for the day. Taylor needed to go to the bookstore to pick up a book she left yesterday, but wanting to explore the campus, Gabriella agreed to meet Taylor at the café near the bookstore after a little while.

After listening to his message, she searched through her address book for his number. Gabriella couldn't even remember the last time she and Troy had a decent conversation. If she thought hard, she estimated that it was soon after she and Taylor moved into their new apartment. Troy had said something about taking summer school classes in Berkeley, but she hadn't really heard from him since he went back to California. After three rings, Gabriella sighed again as she heard the ever too familiar message that was beginning to get on her nerves.

"_Hey, this is Troy! Can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message at the beat, I'll give you a call as soon as I can't bye!"_

"Hey Troy, this is Gabriella. No, you aren't the worst best friend in the world. It takes two to play phone tag, and I'm not much better. Thanks for thinking about me and remembering that today was my first day of class. Technically tomorrow is the first day of official class. Today was just an orientation day. Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing. Whenever you get a chance, give me a call back so I can-

Gabriella gasped as her body slammed into a hard surface and was sure she would have fallen if it wasn't for the two hands that grabbed her on both sides and steadied her. Looking up she came face to face with the most amazing emerald green eyes she had ever seen. All Gabriella could do was gulp as it took her about five seconds to realize that she was still on the phone leaving Troy a message.

"Um.. sorry about that Troy, but yeah I'll talk to you later. Bye…" she trailed as she closed her cell phone. "I am so sorry about running into you!"

"It's ok," said the dark brown haired stranger as he gently released his hands from her sides.

Realizing that she was staring, Gabriella turned to look away from his intense gaze. "I must have been enjoying the sights of the campus too much that I didn't realize where I was going. I'm such a klutz."

The boy laughed as he held out his hand to offer a hand shake to Gabriella. "It's really okay. No harm, no foul right? Anyway, my name if Trevor Donovan."

Shaking his hand, Gabriella dared to look into his green eyes again. Trevor Donovan was a good foot taller than her, and while it didn't look like he spent hours in gym bodybuilding every day, his muscular built hinted that he was definitely athletic and healthy. But what drew Gabriella most to him was how his green eyes stood out as they contrasted with his spiked dark brown hair. Gabriella had to concentrate once again to not get lost in his eyes. While they were not the blue orbs she was used to, there was an appealing quality to this set of eyes.

"It's good to meet you Trevor. My name is Gabriella Montez."

"So what are you doing here at Harvard Law School besides admiring the scenery?"

"I'm actually starting my first year here."

"Oh yeah! Orientation was today, huh? Did the professors all make their speeches about how this will be the most intense three years of your life?"

"Yes! I think they scared my roommate, Taylor."

Trevor chuckled as Gabriella couldn't help but think to herself how nice his smile was. "Well, to be honest with you, it's actually worse than they made it sound. But, for your roommate's sake, let's just keep that between you and me."

Gabriella giggled. "Great, well in that case, I need to figure out where the library is located. You-"

She was interrupted by a vibration inside her purse. After saying a quick apology to Trevor, Gabriella rummaged through her bag looking for her phone. Seeing the silly picture that Troy demanded that she let him take and his name and number flash on the screen, Gabriella bit the bottom of her lip. She hadn't been able to talk to her best friend in days; however, this was the first time in a long time that she had felt butterflies in her stomach while talking to a boy that wasn't Troy Bolton.

Making a tough decision, Gabriella hit the "Reject" button and slipped her cell back into her purse hoping that Troy would pick up when she called him back later tonight. Looking back up at Trevor, she apologized once again. "I'm sorry about that. I was trying to say that you seem to know a lot about the professors here so I can only assume you go here too?"

"Fine deduction Ms. Montez. I believe you're going to do quite well here at Harvard," joked Trevor smiling at Gabriella to let her know that he didn't mean any harm with his joke. "Yes, I'm happy to stay that I have survived long enough to make it to my third year here."

"Wait," began Gabriella as she began to dig through her purse. "I knew your name sounded familiar. Here it is!"

Taking a peek at what Gabriella just produced from her purse, Trevor began to blush as he realized it was last June's copy of the _Harvard Law Review. _

"You're one of the editors of the Harvard Law Review. I was trying to keep myself entertained during Dr. Hollis' introduction to Contract Law, and I scanned through the list of editors. I'm sorry if I'm sounding like a stalker right now. It's just a really big accomplishment!"

"Um… yeah, it is a pretty great honor," stammered Trevor slightly unsure what to do with the praise.

"Great honor? You're being modest! Many of the finest lawyers and judges have been part of the Havard Law Review. I mean come on, Obama had this position too!"

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as comparing me to the President," said Trevor who was now blushing profusely. He pointed towards a direction that was behind him. "So, do you want me to show you were that library is?" he asked hoping to divert the attention away from him and to have an opportunity to spend more time with Gabriella.

"I would love to, but" paused Gabriella to take a look at her watch. "I'm supposed to meet my roommate at the café in five minutes." Regret quickly filled her as she realized their time together was going to be cut short.

"Raincheck?" offered Trevor.

Gabriella grinned as her stomach flipped. "Definitely," she agreed ignoring the fact that a map of Harvard was sitting in her purse, and she was more than capable of finding it herself.

"I know this may seem forward, and I promise I don't normally do this. And I promise again that wasn't just some lame pick up line either. But, I'm beginning to ramble, and I want to get this out before I embarrass myself anymore, but may I call you sometime?" asked Trevor as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Gabriella smiled as she tried to suppress a squeal. "Sure."

"Awesome," replied Trevor with relief obvious in his voice. Pulling out his cell phone, Gabriella and he quickly traded numbers. "I'll give you a call later. It was good meeting you Gabriella Montez."

"Likewise," she replied as their eyes lingered on each others for a beat before Gabriella broke eye contact to make her way to the café. Turning back, she watched Trevor's retreating figure. When he was out of hearing range, she finally allowed the squeal that she was holding in out.

Feeling her phone vibrate again, she grinned as she saw who it was. "Hey Pay! You'll never believe what just happened…"

* * *

Present Day (May 29, 2020)

"I know I sent you the invitation, but I never got married," stated Gabriella looking up to see Troy's reaction only to see that the expression on his face was unreadable.

Before he could respond, a waitress came over. "Are you guys ready to be seated?"

Grateful for the interruption, Troy quickly glanced over to Gabriella who nodded her head in approval. Turning back to the waitress, Troy nodded at her as well to indicate that they would like to be seated. The waitress showed them to a booth in the corner of the diner that was quiet enough for them to talk.

After handing them their menus and taking their drink orders, she left Troy and Gabriella in an uncomfortable silence.

"So, you didn't get married," said Troy in hopes of starting the conversation up again.

"No, I didn't."

Troy nodded trying to process all the information that had bombarded him in the last 5 minutes. "What happened?"

* * *

April 2nd, 2013

"Gabriella!" yelled Taylor as she entered their apartment. Not seeing her right away in the living room, Taylor continued down the hallway heading to Gabriella's room to look for her. "I checked with the florist, and she said they're still in the process of acquiring all the lilies you guys asked for. But if she's not able to get that many, she suggested maybe pairing them up with-"

Taylor stopped at the doorway as she saw her roommate and best friend on her bed with tears rolling down her cheeks. In her hands was a small white RSVP card. "Gabi," started Taylor as she walked towards the bed to put her arm around her. "What's wrong?"

As she sniffed, Gabriella handed the card over to Taylor. "He's not coming."

Taking the card from her, Taylor looked at the card in question and a look of realization came upon her face as she read it.

Name: Troy Bolton

____ accepts_

___X_ regrets_

"Did he give a reason?" asked Taylor.

"Turn the card around."

After Taylor did so, she realized that Troy had scribbled a note behind the card.

_Dear Brie,_

_I'm really sorry about not being able to come, but your wedding is around my finals. And with graduation looming, I can't really afford to mess up. Please know I wish you and your fiancé happiness as you begin your new life together. I truly regret not being able to meet him. Maybe if you're in Albuquerque during the holidays, we can meet up. _

_Love always,_

_Troy_

Sighing, Taylor put down the card and pulled her friend into a hug. "Oh Gabi, I'm sorry."

While her intent had been to comfort her friend, it had the opposite effect as Gabriella continued to cry more. "He's my best friend, Tay. How am I supposed to go through this life altering moment without him?"

"Gabriella, you love Trevor. You have a great guy and you're going to marry him in a little less than a month. Just follow your heart."

Taylor allowed Gabriella to cry on her shoulder for a few minutes before Gabriella felt like she had enough of the tears. Slowly walking her way out of the window, she looked out at the view with a thoughtful expression on her face. "You're right Taylor. I have to follow my heart. And I've decided that my heart is telling me that I can't do this."

"Really, Gabriella?" questioned Taylor. "Don't take this is a sign that this isn't right. Everyone gets cold feet right before their wedding."

"That's the thing Taylor! I don't think this is cold feet. Even when Trevor proposed, I felt that it was too quick. But he's just so nice and charming and amazing! I know that if we got married, he would make me happy. And while we were doing all the wedding preparations, I thought I was happy. But getting this today… I… I don't know anymore. I would be happy, but not in the way I feel like I should be with a husband. Don't you think it's bad that I can picture my life without him?"

"So are you saying you're still I love with Troy?" asked Taylor with a shocked look on her face. Ever since they arrived in Cambridge, she watched the friendship between Gabriella and Troy deteriorate. While she knew that despite their lack of communication, they would always be each other's best friend, Taylor wasn't aware that Gabriella had harbored any more romantic feelings for Troy.

"Taylor, I will always love Troy," she stated simply. "But, I'm not the naïve girl I was back in high school. I don't think that just because you love someone it means that you're meant to be."

Taylor nodded as she took in her friend's confession. "What do you want to do then? Call off the wedding and ask Troy for a second chance?"

Gabriella considered her options for another moment before she turned to look at Taylor who was still sitting on her bed. "Yes and no. As hard as it will be to hurt Trevor, I know that it'll hurt him more in the long run to be married to someone who doesn't truly love him. I don't see any other choice but to call it off."

She walked over to her desk and picked up a framed picture she and Troy took during the summer right before college when Sharpay and Ryan invited the whole gang to spend the day on their yacht at the lake. Gabriella ran her hand over the picture of her 18 year old self and Troy as they made funny faces at the camera. After she sighed, she gently placed it down. "But regarding Troy. I don't even know what's going on with his life right now. For all I know, he could be seriously dating someone else right now."

"Or, he could be waiting for the day you re-enter his life."

Seeing that Gabriella was now considering this new possibility, Taylor offered, "I could ask Chad what Troy has been up to lately."

"No," replied Gabriella quickly. "I don't want to come storming in and turning his life upside down. It sounds like he's on a really focused path right now, and I don't want to mess it all up. Besides, this decision is about me. Not Troy and me. I shouldn't be thinking about this anyway. I'm about to hurt one of the sweetest guys I have ever met."

"When are you going to do it?"

Gabriella looked at the clock next to her bed to see that it was quarter to seven. "I'm meeting him for dinner pretty soon. I should do this tonight. If I wait any longer, it would just be cruel."

"Do you need anything?" asked Taylor knowing that hurting someone she loved was not going to be an easy task for Gabriella.

"No, but I think I need a moment alone to collect my thoughts."

Getting up from the bed, Taylor walked over to Gabriella and pulled her into a hug. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

* * *

"What happened between me and Trevor is a long story," Gabriella started as she looked across the table at Troy. "But to basically make a long story short, it just didn't work out. Right before the wedding, I realized that Trevor wasn't it for me. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I knew it had to be done."

"How did he take it?"

"He didn't understand at first. But eventually, he realized that he deserved someone who loved him as much as he loved her. And he finally did find the right girl. I actually went to their wedding about six months ago."

"Wow, that's brave of you to go a wedding of an ex-fiance."

Gabriella let out a laughed, and it made Troy smile just to hear it again after going so many years without it. "I know right? But Trevor said that they had me to thank. He was fully ready to get married to me, but it took my rejection for him to realize that I wasn't the one."

Before their conversation could continue further, the waitress had arrived with their food. As she slid their plates onto the table, the two friends looked at each other with grins on their faces excited to see what the rest of the night had in store for them.

* * *

**I hope this chapter came out the way I wanted to. Just to give you some insight on what I was trying to do, I did want to stress that Gabriella really did love Trevor, she just wasn't _in_ love with him, which for me there is a difference (some people may disagree). I believe Gabriella and Trevor would have been happy if they had gotten married, but I happen to be a very idealistic person who believes that if you can picture your life without someone then you aren't _in_ love with that person. And in my story, Gabriella feels the same way.  
**

**Now the question you're probably wondering: at the point where Gabriella decided to call of her wedding, was she _in_ love with Troy? For right now, all I will say is that even Gabriella doesn't know the answer to this question.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry for the delay! Work and summer fun got in the way! But after seeing the amazing video of ZV at the concert in Vancouver last night, I just got inspired! (if you haven't seen it yet, you need to go to right NOW). As always, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, story alerted, and favorited this story.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM or its characters. **

**

* * *

**Northern Star

Chapter 4

After setting down their plates, the waitress left Troy and Gabriella as they stole looks at each other while taking the first bites of their meals.

Gabriella looked up from her food and gave Troy a small giggle. "You haven't changed at all, Wildcat."

"How so?"

"I see you still love your mac and cheese." Gabriella slightly pointed at the side of macaroni and cheese as Troy lifted a heaping forkful in his mouth.

He laughed and tried not to choke on his food. "Hey, mac and cheese made sure I didn't starve during medical school!" he jokingly protested.

"If I didn't come to Berkeley some weekends to cook for you, I think you would have eaten it all through freshmen year!"

"Oh, don't remind me! I missed your home cooking so much after you left!"

"What is it with you boys and your mac and cheese? Ever since I introduced it to Ethan last year, he requests it every week."

Troy grinned at the mention of Gabriella's small boy. However, he did still wonder who Ethan's father was if she never married Trevor. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, Ethan inherited none of his looks from Gabriella.

"So how does Ethan's father feel about his eating habits?" Troy picked at his food with his fork hoping that he sounded casual.

Gabriella was in the process of taking a bite of her hamburger as she suddenly froze at Troy's question. Taking a deep sigh, she put her burger down and looked at Troy. "I knew you were going to ask eventually."

"Oh, I didn't mean to pry, Brie," Troy said quickly after seeing that this topic of conversation obviously caused her some discomfort. "If you don't want to talk about it, I'm totally okay with that."

"No, it's ok. I'm sure you're curious. It's… just a really long story," replied Gabriella as she looked Troy in the eye. However, the look he returned back was enough to erase all the hesitations she voiced to Kelsi earlier that day in regards to Ethan's paternity.

"Take as much time as you need." Troy lifted his right hand and reached across the table to place it above Gabriella's left one hoping it would encourage her to go on.

"So I guess I should start at the very beginning. After I broke off the wedding with Trevor, I spent my summer off in Europe. I backpacked for two and a half months, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. It gave me a lot of perspective on my life and what I was doing. When I got back for my second year of law school, I realized that my life was completely different than the one I had left."

"Or you were a different person than the one you left the summer before?"

Gabriella nodded in agreement with Troy's deduction. "Definitely. Two weeks into school, I realized, law wasn't it for me anymore. I mean, it wasn't because I was struggling. I was actually doing really well."

"And I would have expected anything less from you," Troy interjecting.

"But, it didn't hold my interest as much as it did before during first year. So, I withdrew from Harvard. My neighbor's son was a partner for a public relations company, and she said they were looking for an assistant who had a background in law, but they didn't necessarily have the funds to hire a real lawyer. After speaking with her son, I packed up my bags, and headed to Boston. Eventually, I picked up the business pretty well, and I became really interested in publicity. They gave me a position as junior publicist and then promoted me to senior manager of the publicity department. That's where I met my assistant, Emma Bates."

"Emma Bates… Ethan Bates. I get it now," said Troy as Gabriella nodded seeing the expression on his face that he was putting the pieces together.

"She and I became really good friends. I would say she was my best friend in the city. However, she was dating this one guy for a couple of weeks, and when he found out she got pregnant, he left and she never heard from him since. I don't even know his name. Emma was great though; she was determined to keep the baby and raise him herself. She ended up moving into my apartment complex, and she even asked for me to be with her in the delivery room when she had Ethan. I've loved him ever since."

"You really have a special connection with him don't you?" asked Troy as he couldn't help but notice that that Gabriella's face softened at the mention of Ethan.

"I do. Soon after Emma delivered, she took on a second job to be able to provide more for herself and Ethan. I took care of him for those nights when she was working." Gabriella had to pause as she tried to hold back tears before reliving the next memory. "Then, when Ethan was barely a year old, I was taking care of him for the night, when I got a phone call from the police department..."

Troy could see that the memory still caused pain in Gabriella, and he squeezed the hand he still held under his right hand hoping to give her comfort.

"She got hit by a drunk driver. She was already gone when they brought her to the hospital."

"Oh, Brie, I'm so sorry." Troy lifted his hand from her hand to gently bring it up to her shoulder and rub it gently to truly show his sympathy.

"Emma's parents came up from their home in Virginia for the funeral and to look after Ethan. It was so devastating to everyone. Ethan cried out for his mommy every night, and there wasn't anything any of us could do except try to console him. After the funeral, Emma's parents took Ethan to stay with them at their home. I felt like I was losing another person in my life so soon after losing Emma. I missed him so much when he was gone. However, a month later, I got a call from a lawyer for a meeting."

* * *

July 6th, 2017

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me so quickly, Ms. Montez," said the mid-age man sitting across from Gabriella in his office in downtown Boston. "Like I told you on the phone, my name is Kyle Livingston, and Ms. Bates hired me a last year to update her will, and as it involves you, it is my duty to make sure you hear it."

"Of course, Mr. Livingston," replied Gabriella from her seat. She was surprised that Emma had left her something in her will. It was probably some of her kitchen items that Gabriella always complemented and borrowed occasionally.

Clearing his throat and brining his glasses to his eyes, Mr. Livingston lifted the paper and began to read. "Last Will and Testament of Emma Grace Bates. I, Emma Grace Bates, being of sound and disposing mind, do hereby make, publish and declare the following to be my Last Will and Testament. I declare that I have one child now living whose name and birth date are: Ethan Alexander Bates born on March 20th, 2016.

"I give, devise and bequeath all of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, of whatever kind and character, and wherever located, to my parents, Samuel and Cassandra Bates, provided that they survive me. I ask that they sell whatever they can and to use the money to pay off my funeral expenses. Any left over should be added to the trust fund I have opened in my child's name at Boston Community Bank. Any items that cannot be sold will then be taken and donated to the Salvation Army. My parents are allowed to take anything they wish to keep as memories.

"If my parents do not survive me, then I give, devise and bequeath all, of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to Gabriella Anne Montez and ask her to do the same.

"As for the issue of custody of my child, I ask that, Gabriella Anne Montez, raise my son. As I am an only child, my son has no other family members except for my parents. However, with their current state of finances, they do not have the means to care for my child. Gabriella has opened up her home numerous times for me and my child, and I am confident that she will raise him the way I would have raised him and do everything for his benefit. The connection between her and Ethan is real, and I think this will be the best way for Ethan to grow up. If she is to accept this request, I name her, Gabriella Anne Montez, executor of my child's trust fund until he turns 18."

"If she refuses, then I request that my child be taken cared of by my parents and that they are named executors to his trust fund.

"For my dear child, Ethan Bates, I leave him my love and knowledge that it was not my choice to leave him. However, I have done everything in my power to assure that he will be taken cared of even if I'm not there. No matter where he goes, he will be happy and I will be looking down on him always. Signed, Emma Grace Bates."

When he finished reading, Mr. Livingston lifted his eyes to see the reaction of Gabriella's face.

"She left me Ethan?" Gabriella looked back at the lawyer with a combination of amazement and fear.

"Yes, she did. When I was drawing this up for her, she was very clear that she wanted you to raise her child. She seemed to think that you were the best one for him if it wasn't her."

"I don't know about that…" Her voice trailed as she pondered if she could really raise a young child.

"Well, you have about 2 weeks to decide. I have already contacted Mr. and Mrs. Bates, and they said they are willing to continue watching over Ethan while you make a decision. They have also said they are more than willing to take care of him if you decide to refuse."

Gabriella nodded slightly as she stood up to leave the office to really consider Emma's last request.

* * *

(Present time)

"So, you ended up taking care of Ethan?" said Troy when Gabriella finished her story.

She nodded. "I did." She hesitated slightly before lifting her eyes to meet his again. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

Troy was startled at her sudden question and doubt. "Gabriella, I'm confused. What are you talking about? Of course I think you made the right decision! I didn't see you with Ethan for very long, but the love between you is obvious to anyone."

"It's not a question of whether or not I love him, because I love Ethan with my whole heart and soul. But, do you think I'm doing the right thing raising him as a single mother when he had the opportunity to live in a home with two people who were married to each other." Gabriella looked down as she finally spoke the insecurities she had earlier in the day with Kelsi.

Understanding where her uncertainty was coming from, Troy scooted his seat closer to Gabriella so he was now next to her and put his arm around her. With his free hand, he lifted her chin so she could look at him. "Gabriella, you made the right decision. It doesn't matter if the parents are together, divorced, or single. What matters is the love and lessons that the child learns while he's growing up. Plus, one of the most amazing women I know was raised by a single parent."

It took Gabriella a moment to realize that Troy was speaking about her. She blushed slightly, and thought '_He still knows the perfect thing to say to make me feel better.'_

"Thank you, Troy. Even after all these years, I still struggle with my decision."

"As long as you believe that Ethan is happy and healthy, then you know you made the right one." Gabriella nodded as she took in what Troy said. Troy continued, "Are you still in Boston, then? That's not too far from here." Excitement rose in Troy's chest at the prospect of having Gabriella and Ethan close by. He could get used to having Gabriella back into his life, and he was excited to get to know Ethan better as well.

"No; shortly after Ethan came to live with me, I figured it would be better to have family close by. I moved back to Albuquerque so my mom could help me out a little bit with Ethan."

The excitement that was building in Troy slowly deflated as he realized that Gabriella and Ethan lived across the country and would be going back there the next day. "Wow, to think we never ran into each other when I went home for the holidays."

"I know," stated Gabriella. She often thought about contacting the Boltons and Troy after she moved back. However, her promise not to turn his life upside down with her sudden announcement of never getting married and now having a young child to raise stopped her numerous attempts to contact him.

"Do you still work in PR?" asked Troy curious as to what Gabriella did presently. He wanted to know everything about her new life.

"I do. I work for a PR agency, Goodman and Howard Media Relations. I head their publicity department. I was doing a lot of local contracts before like working with the New Mexico Wildcats, the local arena football team. But, the bosses were quite impressed when an up and coming pop singer barged into the office and demanded that I work on her new CD launch."

Troy had to laugh at the picture of a girl, who he presumed wore all pink, storming in and making demands the minute she walked in. "Let me guess, Sharpay?"

Gabriella let out a giggle as Troy was able to correctly guess their friend. "Yes, of course. Sharpay hasn't changed at all. She's just as blunt as ever. But you should see her with Ethan. You would think she would get all grossed out by a creature that drools and spits their food, but she's great with him. He calls her Aunt Pay. She spoils him crazy too."

They both laughed at the memory until Gabriella realized she had been talking about herself for the past hour. "Troy, I'm so self-absorbed! I haven't even asked what you're up to now."

Troy shook his head to show that he disagreed with her. "No, you're not being self-absorbed at all. I was curious about you and Ethan."

"Well, I'm curious about you too."

"Ok, where do I start?"

"How about the fact that you're a doctor now. I would have never guessed. I'm sort of surprised. I expected you to be playing for the Lakers or something by now…"

"Yeah, me too. Remember, how I tore my ACL during the Sweet Sixteen my junior year?" Gabriella nodded. "When I got back to Berkeley, the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Lewis, said he would try to fix my ACL, but there were no guarantees. I had high expectations for a full recovery considering that scouts were calling me to tell me that they were planning on visiting some games. There was talk that if I recovered and played just as well during my senior year, I would be a shoe-in for at least first round pick at the draft, and maybe even top 10. But after 2 surgeries, countless hours in physical therapy, and missing the first 5 games of the season, I knew I would never get back to where I was."

"Oh Troy, I'm so sorry. I know it was your dream to be play in the NBA."

"It was, but if there's anything I've learned dreams change, and this is where I belong. It was actually my time with Dr. Lewis that encouraged me to take up medicine, orthopedic surgery to be specific. That summer, I changed my major from physical therapy/drama to pre-med. I figured, I wouldn't really be training so I had time to study. After 20-plus units every semester of science classes and summer school, I was barely able to get my degree in Biology. Then I moved up to Seattle to University of Washington for medical school that fall."

"Wow. That really explains why I never heard back from you after I moved to Cambridge. Why didn't you ever tell me you were working towards medical school? I thought you were busy in physical therapy or something."

"I know. I'm so sorry Gabriella. It was kind of overwhelming. It was the first time I really had to work hard. I mean, I got decent grades in high school and my first couple years of college, but it was different not having my smart girlfriend correct all my homework. Plus, I didn't want to disappoint you. What if I didn't get in? What if all the hard work I put into the last 1.5 years wasn't enough compared to the people who worked their whole lives to get into med school?"

"Troy, you weren't that bad during high school. And look… Here you are a doctor, and you did that all by yourself. Who knew when you were dating the science nerd during high school that you would turn out to be the bigger nerd?"

Troy had to laugh at Gabriella's joke.

After taking a sip of her drink, she asked "So you said you were originally interested in surgery, but how did you get into pediatrics?"

"Well, it wasn't until I had a pediatric rotation during my third year in medical school. I was at a real turning point in my life because I was getting really depressed with medicine. I felt like all I was doing was giving bad news to families. But with children, they are just so resilient and full of hope. I found that I really liked working them."

"And not because you're such a big kid yourself?"

Troy smiled as he remembered Gabriella and Taylor constantly telling him and Chad that they were little kids stuck in adult bodies during college. "Yes, that too."

"So that's why you did a pediatric residency at UPenn. Troy, I don't know if I've told you, but I am so proud of you. So very proud. I'm sorry I wasn't there to witness all your accomplishments, but looking at the man you've turned out to be, I'm in awe of what you've done the past 8 years."

"Me? How about you? You've raised an amazing little boy Gabriella."

Gabriella blushed as he complimented her. She silently scolded herself at allowing him to still have that effect on her after so many years. "I guess we can both agree that we've both changed a lot these last few years."

The waitress then came by to clear off their empty plates. When she asked them if they wanted dessert, Gabriella finally looked down at her watch. "Oh wow, I can't believe it's so late. I should get going; we have an early flight tomorrow."

Lifting his head, Troy turned to the waitress. "No dessert today, but can we have our check, please?" The waitress silently nodded as she turned to retrieve their check. Troy turned back to Gabriella not looking forward saying good bye to her.

"So, when's the next time you're coming back to Albuquerque?" asked Gabriella, she too not wanting the moment to end just yet.

"Well, my residency ends after June, and I'm still deciding what I should do next. I may have time afterwards to visit."

Gabriella's face suddenly fell as she realized that was over a month from now. "Well, if you come into town, make sure you call me."

Picking up the check that the waitress had left at the edge of the table, Troy put enough money to cover the bill and tip. Standing up, he watched as Gabriella did the same.

"Of course I will. Now that we've opened up the lines of communication again, there's no way I'm going to let them close again," he said as he led them to the outside of the diner.

"I hope not. I've really missed you Troy." Gabriella moved forward and pulled Troy into a hug.

Troy squeezed gently as he took a whiff of her hair. The familiar scent of coconut shampoo brought back the memories of college and his feelings for her.

Pulling apart, Troy looked down and moved his hand from her hips to brush off a stray bang that was blocking Gabriella's eyes. His hand remained on the side of her face and Gabriella leaned into his hand. "I've missed you too, Brie."

The two of them stood their frozen in their spots, hearts racing but not knowing what to do. Troy lowered his head towards hers as Gabriella stood on her toes to lift her lips closer to his when suddenly a loud honk brought them out of their stances.

Looking behind him, Troy saw an old man wearing a beanie in a taxi cab. "Do you need a ride?" hollered the taxi driver from his seat.

Gabriella smiled nicely at the old man while Troy visibly scowled at him. "I do need a ride back to Kelsi's place."

Turning to Troy, she gave him one last hug. "Call me when you get back safely home," instructed Troy.

"I will. Good luck with the rest of your residency. And keep me updated." While still in their embrace, Gabriella turned her head quickly to kiss his cheek. She pulled away to walk to the taxi. Before getting in, she smiled at him again. "Bye Troy, I had a great time."

"I did too. Give Ethan a high-five for me."

Smiling at him one last time, Gabriella climbed in and Troy watched as the taxi drove away.

As Troy walked towards his apartment, he couldn't help but feel like he was walking on Cloud 9 as he smiled at the recent night with Gabriella not knowing that she was doing the same from her seat in the taxi.


End file.
